NIGER: VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NIAMEY 000727 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PHUM NG SUBJECT: NIGER: VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE ¶1. Summary. Niger's voter registration drive took place June 19 - July 10, 2008. The National Committee to Pilot the Revision of the Voter Register (known by its French acronym CNPRFE) was created in 2007 to prepare a new voter register. After a long delay related to the committee's organization and funding, it started planning its activities in January 2008. While the committee claims that its mission was a success, the media have expressed some doubt about the scope of the registration. The registration process, based on door-to-door collection of voter names, documentation, and preparation of inclusive voter lists, is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2009 elections. End summary. ¶2. The CNPRFE was created as a predecessor to the actual election committee, the Independent National Electoral Commission (known by its French acronym CENI). In order to prepare good local and general elections in 2009, all political parties and the government agreed on the need to update the voter list in order to reflect a population that has changed enormously since the last voter registration in 1993. The CNPRFE prepared a budget of just over $9 million for its activities (office operation, recruitment and training of registration workers, public awareness drive, and logistics). It also outlined a detailed time table which, if all goes as planned, should be completed by April 2009, in time for the local elections scheduled for June 2009 and national elections scheduled for November-December 2009. (The local elections were originally scheduled for July 2008 but were postponed due to a delay in installing local councils after the 2004 election and the adoption of various amendments to the electoral code.) The commission's request for foreign assistance for voter registration met resistance from donors who wanted to see the budget for the entire election process before committing to support the registration. However, the election budget cannot be developed until the CENI is in place. The government decided to begin the registration process without the expected foreign assistance, which allowed the registration to begin on June 19, about a month later than scheduled. ¶3. Between June 19 and July 10, 4,200 CNPRFE agents went door-to-door throughout the country to register voters. In the north, where there is an ongoing insurgency, registration was done in the major cities and by updating old lists in coordination with village chiefs. The objective of the registration was to include voters who have reached voting age, exclude persons who have died, delete multiple registrations, exclude persons with criminal records, and to correct and clarify the assignment of some villages to several communes. The agents were instructed to accept several types of identification, including national ID cards, passports, birth certificates, driving licenses, military ID cards, military pension booklet, and family booklets. ¶4. CNPRFE head Hamidou Moumouni announced on July 3 that the registration had progressed without major problems. He admitted, however, that the registration would finish a week later than scheduled due to an unexpectedly large population in Niamey. Pessimistic projections before the registration suggested that the agents would not be able to register over 30 percent of the population. One setback was the continual blackouts which prevented agents from working at night. Eventually, they were outfitted with flashlights to overcome this difficulty. The MNJ (Mouvement des Nigeriens pour la Justice) rebel group in the north criticized the results of northern registration, claiming that the new voter list would gravely under represent the actual northern population. The MNJ also threatened to obstruct the registration. However, the MNJ has not claimed that its recent attacks were an attempt to disrupt the registration process. Comment: One of the main issues during the Tuareg rebellion in the 1990's was their lack of representation in government. While this is not the main focus of the current rebellion, the movement still denounces the under representation of Tuaregs in government. A registration that is contested as misrepresentative of northern populations could therefore exacerbate current tensions. End comment. ¶5. The registration process is only the first step towards the elections. Potential donors complain that the government's handling of the pre-election activities has been unorganized. Expecting to see a budget for the entire election, donors have instead received complaints from the GON about a lack of adequate foreign funding for the registration, despite the fact that the GON did not include it in its own budget. The preparation of the election budget should be the responsibility of the CENI, which has yet to be formed. The GON has explained that when election experts come in September, they will focus on forming the CENI. The June 2008 amendment to the Electoral Code provides that the CENI will become a permanent body and will be installed when the national voter register becomes available. ¶6. While awaiting the results of the voter registration drive, there is a general perception that additional corrective rounds will be required in order to have a comprehensive and reliable voter register. Among the issues that the CNPRFE should address are the registration of nomadic communities and Nigeriens abroad. Also, in the context of increasing tensions surrounding the 2009 election, including the arrest of former prime minister and leader of the MNSD NIAMEY 00000727 002 OF 002 ruling party Hama Amadou, there remains speculation that president Tandja may seek a third term, although the president has stated on several occasions that he has no intention of staying in office. ALLEN